Undiplomatic

I’ve tried to make this blog and my letter-writing as even-handed as possible while still speaking truth to power and highlighting disenfranchised (hi)stories.

I’m tired of being nice, of being undiplomatic, of the pretense of civility.

The geo-political situation has been precarious and fragile for quite some time, but we are seeing many governments that we assumed impervious succumb to nationalistic and autocratic tendencies – the United Status certainly included. The way many in our political system actively work to sabotage democratic institutions and prod racial division is, frankly, shocking to watch.

Watching the news the other day, I was floored that this was the actual headline of a major network show: “What is going on here??” Two question marks. It felt like our collective id, or, if not so deep-rooted, a scream echoing throughout all of our skulls, a grasp at understanding the chaos in our lives.

It’s okay to freak out. It’s better than being apathetic. But we need to turn that fear and rage into action. It seems daunting, but every little bit helps. Watch out for each other. Watch our for your neighbors, for strangers, for the least empowered and disenfranchised among you.

I’m tired of being polite. The events around us are too severe to acquiesce. There is a time and place for reticence, of course – do what is right and safe for you – but I’m exhausted pretending that everything is normal when we all can admit that it’s not.

These letters were more than cathartic. They were necessary. A document that we knew what was happening, for better or for worse.